Electricians keep power on at fairgrounds

July 30, 2012

Clouse Electric not only meets commercial and industrial needs, it also meets the needs of the Seneca County Fair.

Chuck Clouse, president and owner of Clouse Electric, 887 E. US 224, said the company has been providing service to the fair for the past 12 years.

Two weeks prior to the fair, electricians visit the fairgrounds to go through electrical panels, inspect transformers and overhead lines, and replace lamps for outdoor and indoor lighting.

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PHOTO BY ERIKA PLATT-HANDRU Electrician Jeff Young of Clouse Electric works on a light Wednesday evening at the Seneca County Fair.

Clouse said removing bee and wasp nests out of electrical panels also is necessary task.

"We make sure the lights come on and we try to look for any upgrades that are needed," he said.

During the fair, electricians connect vendors to the power source and handle all electrical emergencies that may arise. They also maintain the fair's power grid, which consists of replacing poles, overhead lines, transformers and circuit breakers. Clouse said two electricians equipped with radios are on the fairgrounds each day from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m.

"During the fair, it's just maintaining what's there," he said.

Clouse said a common problem at the fair is trips to circuit breakers.

Because campers seem to grow larger each year and more electricity is needed to run their air conditioners and other electrical devices, electrical overloads often lead to a trip.

"We try to upgrade, but sometimes we still have problems with campers," he said.

Clouse said the fair board has done a good job in upgrading the equipment, and the fair's maintenance man also is a huge asset during fair week.

"When we took it over, there were a lot of problems and we were really, really busy every night," he said. "Over the years, the fair board has upgraded and now it's in pretty good shape."